Patrick de Gramont draws upon evidence from infant observaton and linguistics as well as from information theory in order to make two related points. First, he demonstrates how our prevailing theories of meaning have failed to account for how we distort meaning.

Patrick de Gramont draws upon evidence from infant observaton and linguistics as well as from information theory in order to make two related points. First, he demonstrates how our prevailing theories of meaning have failed to account for how we distort meaning.

As managerial work regimes move continuously towards post-industrialism, forms of communication change with it and work relationships are increasingly becoming communicative relationships. This book seeks to end communicative distortions by establishing a new model of communication that will set up practical and workable communication forums.

The notion of what it means to "distort" a text is here explored through a rich variety of individual case studies.

How do children learn that the word "dog" refers not to all four-legged animals, and not just to Ralph, but to all members of a particular species? How do they learn the meanings of verbs like "think," adjectives like "good," and words for abstract entities such as "mortgage" and "story"? The acquisition of word meaning is one of the fundamental issues in the study of mind. According to Paul Bloom, children learn words through sophisticated cognitive abilities that exist for other purposes. These include the ability to infer others' intentions, the ability to acquire concepts, an appreciation of syntactic structure, and certain general learning and memory abilities. Although other researchers have associated word learning with some of these capacities, Bloom is the first to show how a complete explanation requires all of them. The acquisition of even simple nouns requires rich conceptual, social, and linguistic capacities interacting in complex ways. This book requires no background in psychology or linguistics and is written in a clear, engaging style. Topics include the effects of language on spatial reasoning, the origin of essentialist beliefs, and the young child's understanding of representational art. The book should appeal to general readers interested in language and cognition as well as to researchers in the field.

This study sheds light on the problem of communicative inequality, neglected both by linguists and communication scholars, among speakers of different languages. It provides a four-step Critical Theory analysis of language-based inequality and distortion between speakers of a few dominant languages, especially English, and speakers of minority languages in the context of international and intercultural communication. Based on a theoretical framework of “Distorted Communication” developed by J. Habermas and C. Müller, the analysis focuses on a critical description, definition, and interpretation of “Distorted Intercultural Communication”, and exposes the ideology that legitimates linguistic inequality and distortion in communication.

We know a lot about change leadership. We understand how to design change programmes, and we know how to prescribe best practice change methods. Yet, despite all this knowledge, it is reported that up to 70% of change leadership projects fail to realize many of their objectives. The fault lines are cited as occurring at the micro level of social interaction. What we don’t adequately explain and demonstrate within the change leadership literature is how change leaders may consciously generate in themselves and in others resourceful mindsets, emotions, attitudes, and behaviours to enable positive change leadership dynamics. Neuro-Linguistic Programming for Change Leaders: The Butterfly Effect fills this gap by connecting the practices of personal development with those of corporate change leadership. This book has the vision of advancing NLP as a serious technology in the change leader’s tool box. The book introduces to operations managers, HR practitioners, OD specialists, and students of management new ideas and practices, which can transform their effectiveness as change leaders. It focuses on the benefits of applied NLP to change leaders as a generative change toolkit. Secondly, the book provides a model that shows change leaders how to build a climate of psychological safety to establish rapport with stakeholders. Thirdly, the book provides a strategy for enabling broader cultural change and stakeholder engagement throughout the organization.